CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Teases ‘Crisis of Self and Identity’ in Season 12

September 24, 2024 by Marisa Roffman

CHICAGO P.D. — “Ten Ninety-Nine” Episode 12001 — Pictured: Jason Beghe as Hank Voight — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

In the aftermath of Voight’s (Jason Beghe) near-death experience in the CHICAGO P.D. season finale, the sergeant is hyper-focused on work when season 12 kicks off (on Wednesday, September 25 at 10/9c).

“The pace is so fun—I’m so proud of the first few episodes,” CHICAGO P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan tells Give Me My Remote. “They’re fast, man, they move. They’re different. They feel different. And a lot of that is because we’re in Voight’s headspace and Voight is in a place where he wants to keep moving. It’s move, move, move—keep on moving. ‘I did not die in that basement. And I want to move.’ That’s sort of how he’s dealing with it, in a very Voight-like way.”

“We’ll see through the first episode, and even through the first few episodes, that there’s more to it than just that,” she continues. “He did almost die, and that was the most near-death experience he’s had, certainly. We’ll see that he remembers a lot of it—he remembers what it felt like, and he remembers how simple it was. [It’s] almost like, that’s all you get, and you’re just going to be gone. And so now he’s looking at it as, ‘I didn’t die. Why the hell didn’t I die? And what do I do? What do I do with this time? And if there’s time—if there’s more, like Olinsky said—what does that mean? What does that [mean] on the job? What does that look like?’”

Those questions put Voight in “a headspace we haven’t gotten to see him be in, in a while—to be vulnerable, to be kind of introspective, and to be looking at his life,” Sigan notes.

Voight is also still reeling from Upton’s exit, after she opted to leave Intelligence. “He lost somebody that was really close to him and also provided a lot of [guidance], almost like a compass—she could call him out,” Sigan says. “She could be his confidant and his peer, and sort of tell him, ‘You need to step back and calm down.’ So that is also something he’s dealing with. He’s dealing with a lot. It’s just been fun to explore. It’s been really fun to see Jason play it. I think he’s really good in the first couple [of] episodes, so it’s gonna be exciting.”

The sergeant will also grow closer with other people in the unit—and the unit’s orbit. “He’s definitely gonna be leaning on everybody in different ways we’ll see and people [are] stepping up in different ways,” Sigan previews. “And he’s definitely leaning on Chapman, too…she has been somebody that, I think over time, he’s grown to really respect [her]; [he’s] been more open with her than we’ve seen him be with a lot of people. So there’s definitely a kinship there, and we’ll get to see that relationship grow [in a platonic manner]. [We see] her in, a lot of ways, sort of fill some of that vacuum that Upton left behind, especially as far as having someone that Voight can really talk to and be open with, and [who] can understand him, and can call him out a little bit when he needs that sounding board. So that’s been really fun to write, as well. And I think [it’s] a fun, surprising watch for the audience.”

Intelligence will also have a new face in the mix: Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Shawn Hatosy), who makes his presence known in the season premiere.

“Charlie Reid’s coming in, and he is someone from that the unit doesn’t know, he hasn’t really been vetted,” Sigan teases. “He’s a bit of a cipher. They don’t know a lot about him. And we’ve certainly played the chief character before [when it was] someone that Voight has known or has grown up with or they went to the academy together. And this guy is not that…When we meet him, Voight sees his policing philosophy and who he is; he’s quite a lot like Voight. He’s someone that likes to be on the streets, with his units, with his teams. He likes to get to know people and actually provide them the support that they need.”

“Of course, Voight will form a relationship with him, and we’ll see what else is there to this man,” she continues. “But it makes Voight think about how he runs his team and who he is. So it’s been a nice vehicle to do that with him.”

A deeper look into all of the characters will also come into play in season 12: “We are looking at the theme of crisis of self and identity.”

“We’re 12 seasons in—there’s still these sides of these characters that I think we haven’t gotten to explore yet, and that’s crazy,” Sigan says with a laugh. “We really wanted to. And so a lot of this year is sort of testing it a little bit and exploring those things. I want to really surprise them. And it’s been really fun to write that way, with that in mind: ‘What would surprise these characters and bring out different sides of them that we haven’t seen yet, and almost transform them in a way? Or make them think a little differently? Or make them realize is there more out there?’ All these fun questions of transformation and thinking about yourself and who you really are, who you want to be. That’s really what we’ve been looking at for everyone this year.”

CHICAGO P.D., Season Premiere, Wednesday, September 25, 10/9c, NBC

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